Automobile cranking mechanism.



J. P. PETIT. AUTOMOBILE GRANKING MECHANISM;

APPLIOATION FILBD'MAR. 3, 1911.

Patented 001. 17, 1911.

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WITNESSES pf I 1 ATTORNEYS J. P. PETIT. AUTOMOBILE GRANKING MECHANISM.APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1911-.

1,006,401 Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES, ,nn ENT OFFICE.

Joan P. PETIT, orgj'snnnm, QREGON.

'noromoninn emmxmo MncHANIsJg; f

Specification of Letters Patent. I P t t d O t. 17, 1911. Applicationfiled March 3, 1911. Serial No. 611,988.'

To: all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN v P. Pn'rrr, a citizen of the. United States,

and a resident of Salem, in the county of Marion and State.

of Oregon, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomobile Cranking Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention is an improvement in cranking mechanism or devices usedon automobiles, and has for an object to provide a simple, novelconstruction whereby the engine can be cranked from the drivers seat ofthe car in a perfectly safe manner, and by means of which will avoid thepossibility of any injury to the driver by the action of theengine; andthe invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinationsof parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed. a

In the drawings, Figure '1 is. a front view of an automobile providedwith my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the front portionor engine case of the automobile with the improvements'applied and shownin section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of the improved devices, partsbeing broken away. Fig. 4 isa front view of the sprocket and ratchetdevices used on the engine shaft, and,-Fig. 5 is a detail view of thesprocket and ratchet used inconnecton with the starting shaft. "In theconstruction shown, I refer for convenience of reference, to the shaft Aas the engine shaft, and to the shaft B as the starting shaft, thisshaft being extended into convenient reach of the driver in the car, andis provided with a handle B, which may be of any desired construction,being shown as a crank.

The engine shaft A may be the ordinary shaft of any ordinary engine usedin automobiles or the like and on this shaft is fixed a ratchet wheel 0,which is engaged by a pawl D on a sprocket wheel D. The pawl D ispreferably a gravity pawl so that it engages with the ratchet wheel bygravity and if at any time when the engine is operat ing, the click ofthe. pawl is objectionable, the wheel D ma be adjusted to throw the pawlD below t e ratchet C so the point of the' pawl will drop clear of theratchet whee C.

nected parts to the engine secured to the body portionlby screws D andmay be removed. or replaced as desired.

Suitable anti-friction bearings at E may be provided between the hub Dof the sprocket wheel and the hub C of the ratchet Wheel C, asbest'shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. By the described construction, theratchet wheel C may be keyed to the engine shaft A and the sprocketwheel will operate by ball bearings upon the hub of the ratchet wheeland this sprocket wheel will operate through its pawl D to transmitanymotion which may be given it to the ratchet wheel and thence to theengine shaft E. At the same time, if the engineshaft moves more rapidlythan the sprocket wheel, and during the operation of the engine, theratchet wheel may be moved freely forward past the pawl D 4 of thedrawings.

The sprocket wheel D is geared by a sprocket which is loose on thestarting shaft B and this sprocket wheel G has a clutch section G whichis engaged by a clutch section H keyed to and movable along the startingshaft B andpressed normally into engagement with its cooperating clutchsect-ion G" by a spring I. The clutch sections constitute what might betermed slip clutches, the

spring I having suflicient tension to hold the section H so firmly inconnect-ion with the section G as to turn the said section G and throughit the sprocket wheel G and the sprocket wheel D and other conshaft, butin case of a back fire in the'engine, the clutch section G will slipback past the clutch section H, so that there will be at no time anydanger of the handle B .of the starting shaft being operated by a backfire of the engine. This is further prevented by the provlsion of detentmechanism comprising a ratchet wheel J on the starting shaft B and enaswill be obvious from Fig.

chain F with a sprocket wheel G i D and a removable cap D which latteris gaged by a pawl K, which prevents any reverse movement of thestarting shaft and locks the said shaft firmly against any backwardmovement so that in case of a reverse movement of the. starting shaft byreason of a back fire in the engine, the clutch section G will-slip backpast the clutch section H and no harm will resul't from the back fire.It will be noticed that the ratchet J and its pawl K are housed in abracket L secured at L to the dash M of the automobile and this bracketL also forms a boxing or bearing for-the starting shaft in the use ofthe invention.

In the use of the invention, it will be noticed that the handle B is notat any time an element of danger to the operator, al-

though it may be retained permanently in position immediately in rear of"the dash and in convenient reach of the operator so that he can,without leaving his seat, turn a the shaft B to start the engine. Whenthe verse motion is stopped at the clutch section H, which will slipback against the tension of its spring I when the clutch section G isturned in the reverse direction, the starting-shaft being locatedasagainst reverse movement by the detent devicesJ and K, more fullydescribed hereinbefore.

Itwill be noticed from the foregoing. that my invention includes inconnection with the engine shaft, a starting shaft and gear ing betweenthe engine shaft and starting shaft, which gearing includes ratchetdevices immediately associated with'the engine shaft, slip clutchdevices in connection with the starting shaft and detent mechanism forpreventing any reverse movement of the starting sha t in order to avoidany injury to the operator in pase of a back fire.

I claim: The improvement in starting devices for automobiles,substantially. as herein described, comprising in combination, an engineshaft, a ratchet wheel fast thereon, a sprocket wheel forming a housingfor the ratchet wheel and provided with a pawl engaging theratchetwheel, a starting shaft, a sprocket wheel looseon the starting shaft andprovided with a slip clutch section, a slip clutch section keyed to andmovable along the starting shaft,,a spring pressing such clutch sectionsnormally into engagement with each other, a chain connectin the sprocketwheels of the engine shaft an starting shaft and detent mechanism forpreventing reverse motion of the starting shaft, substantially as setforth.

JOHN P. PETIT. Witnesses i T SoLoN C. KEMON PERRY B. TURPIN.

